Compressor



Sept. 3, 1940.

R. E. LAMBERTON 2,213,257

COMPRESSOR Filed April 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l lfigi.

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P 1940. Y R. E. LAMBERTQN 2,213,257

COMPRESSOR Filed April 30, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z5 Z5 afaZph/ci iamerin A; I' my wig} Zavnfor.

P 1940- R. E. LAMBERTON 2,213,257

COMPRESSOR File-i April 3Q, 19.37 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES COMPRESSOR Ralph E. Lamberton, Michigan City, Ina, assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 30,1937, Serial No. 140,030

11 Claims. (omen-231);

" ing means, improved means for decreasing the resistance to fluid flow, and for minimizing clearance, the head structure having associated therewith improved valve mechanism and unloading mechanism.

An object of this invention is to provide-an improved head structure for the cylinder-of a fluid compressor or pump whereby, due to novel proportioning of parts and streamlining,- an extremely smooth flow of fluid through thehead is attained. Another object is to provide, in a head structure of the above character, valvemechanism of an improved and extremely efficient de'' sign, the improved flow passage arrangement providing an extremely smooth flow of fluid to and from the valve mechanism and past the valve compressor or pump whereby the ,clearance'is maintained at a minimum. A further object'is to provide an improved fluid compressor or pump in which the piston, cylinder and valve construction are so designed to minimize clearance and promote maximum smoothness of fluid flow. A still further object of this invention is to' provide an "improved unloading mechanism for a fluid compressor or pump, the unloading mechanism being associated with the improvedhead structure in a novel manner. Yet another object is to provide a novel heat'radiation means embodied in the head and cylinder of a fluid compressor or pump. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings there are shown for purposes of illustration two forms which the invention may assume in practice,-

. In these drawings, Fig. 1 is a section through the head end of a compressor cylinder of the reciprocating piston type, said section including the cylinder axis and the axes of the inlet and discharge passages and being taken on the plane of the line 1-! of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the plane of line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly; I Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking upwardly. V ;=Fi g. .5 isanelevatio nalview oi the exterior of the upper end of thecylinder construction viewed from the air inlet side.

Fig. 6 is a section on the Fig.5. 1.; Fig. -7 is a view in elevation of the cylinder, head withdrawn from its mounting inythe cylinder and viewed from the air inlet side. Fig. 8 is airagmentary' sectional view on an enlarged scale on the same plane as- 1,' show-i ing details of the discharge valve-mechanism.

Fig. 9 is a section through the head 'endof a modified cylinder showing a slightly modified unloading mechanism anda different'flowpassage and cylinder head arrangement; Y Fig. 10 is'a cross sectional view on the planeof line-lll-l of Fig. 9, lookingdownwardlyw Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view;taken on the plane of line ll-I| of Fig. 9, Fig. 12 is a fragmentarylsectional view on arr enlarged sc'ale on'the same plane asFig. '9, showing details; of the'discharge valve mechanism. I In the preferred illustrative form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, the invention is embodied in a fluid. compressor-or pump of the vertical cylinder, reciprocating piston. type, and especially designed for the compression of air, although it will beevident that various featuresof the invention may be incorporated in compressors or pumps of other types; and the cylinder maybe either air cooled or cooled by a conventional liquid cooling system. Obviously; there may be a plurality of these cylinders in 'a multiple cylinder compressor instead of the sin-. gle cylinder shown, and the cylinders may bearranged in any known manner otherthan the vertical. Of this compressor or pump, only a portion of the cylinder and the-cylinder'head structure and its associated partsis shown, as it is in these parts the improvements particularly reside, and the means for reciprocating the pisto n is omitted since it may assume anyappropriate form, and is well known to those skilled. in theart. p

It will be observed that a cylinder I providesa vertical bore 2 in which a piston 3 is reciprocable.- In this illustrative construction, the compressor is, of the air cooled type having a novel cooling arrangement, and the cylinder has arranged ex.- ternally thereon a series of superimposed cooling fins 4 to facilitate the dissipation of heat, and cooperating therewith is an improved cooling fin, and recess arrangement. associated with the c'yljinder head structure, as will later be described. In this instance, formed integrally withthe cylinder is an upper 'head portion provided.

plane of line 6; 6

with vertical, stepped counter-bores 6 and I of greater diameter than the cylinder bore, and the upper end of the cylinder bore terminates well below the top of the integral head portion, and the latter has formed therein an air discharge chamber 8 for connection with discharge piping and an air inlet chamber 9 to which a conventional air filter I0 is shown attached. The stepped bores 6 and I are formed within the walls of the upwardly extended portion 5 of the cylinder, and received in these bores is the cylindrical body of a detachable cylinder head II which lies largely within the upwardly extended head portion of the cylinder. The cylinder head I I is flanged at I2 at its upper end,'and is held in place by cap screws I3 passing through holes in the head flange and threaded into tapped holes in the upper edge of the upwardly extended integral head portion of the cylinder. The bottom of the detachable head II is formed with a plane face at I4, and an annular plate member I5 is secured thereto by cap screws I6 which pass down through openings in the head and are threaded into tapped holes in the plate member. This plate member I5 is coaxial with the cylinder bore 2 and has a central opening IT, for a purpose to be later explained. The upper side of the plate member I5 is circularly recessed at I8, and this recess communicates with the cylinder bore through arcuate flow passages I9. Formed in the bottom portion of the detachable head II is an annular passage 20 opening through the bottom plane face I4 of the head II and extending upwardly into communication with an air inlet chamber 2| formed in the head II and communicating with the air inlet passage 9. Arranged in the circular recess I8 is an inlet valve 22 of the annular plate type and a transversely flexed annular bowed spring 23, the latter engaging the lower surface of the valve plate to urge yieldingly the latter toward its seat on the concentric annular seating surfaces at the inner and outer peripheries of the annular passage 20; and the walls of the circular recess I8 guide the valve and spring, constraining the valve to movement parallel to its axis only. This valve when seated cuts off communication of the annular inlet passage 20 with the cylinder bore.

In this illustrative construction, the bottom of the detachable head I I has a concentric annulus 24 which is formed to enter the bore I in the outer head 5', and is secured to an integral portion of the head II by virture of five ribs 25 which are shown in Fig. 4. This annulus is spaced from the main portion of the head by an annular discharge passage 26 communicating, as is well shown in Fig. 8, with substantially radially extending arcuate passages 21 between the ribs and in turn communicating with the air discharge passage 8. The annular discharge passage 26 is connected to the arcuate passages by curved inner walls 28, so that smooth flow of air through these passages is assured. The annulus 24 may have depending bosses or lugs 29 which may contact, if desired, with the upper surface of a ring 39 to hold the latter in position at the lower portion of the counter-bore I, the outer diameter of the ring being determined to fit the counter-bore I, or these lugs may terminate short of the ring and a pressed fit relied on, if desired. The bottom of the lower counter-bore I is tapered at 3|, and the lower surface of the ring is correspondingly formed,

5 and interposed between this surface will be a suitable seal in the form of a gasket when a pressed fit is not used. In this instance, the inner bore 32 of the ring 30 is of the same diameter as, and forms a continuation of the cylinder bore 2, and the upper surface of the ring is in the same transverse plane as the lower plane face I4 of the head II. The bottom of the annulus 24 is annularly recessed at 33, and the bosses 29 are curved at their inner sides to conform with the outer diameter of the annular recess 33, and the inner wall of the recess is formed by the cylindrical portion 34 of the head II. Arranged in this recess and guided by the curved surfaces on the lugs 29 or, if preferred, by downward extensions of the ribs 25, as in the construction shown in Figs. 9 to 12, is a discharge valve 35 of the annular plate type, urged yieldingly into seating engagement with the upper plane surfaces of the ring 30 and plate member I5 by a transversely flexed annular bowed spring 38, and this valve when seated cuts off communication of the cylinder bore with the annular discharge passage 26.

It will be noted that the upper surface of the piston 3 is formed with an annular recess 31 which forms an annular concentric lip 38 at the piston periphery and a concentric circular boss 39 at the piston center. This annular lip and central boss 39, when the piston comes to the upper end of its stroke, enter and substantially fill the annular space between the ring 30 and the plate member I5, and the opening I! in the plate member respectively. It can be readily seen that this construction very materially reduces the compressor clearance, a result greatly to be desired in air compressors or pumps of the type disclosed.

This embodiment includes unloading mechanism of the well known sweep type in which the inlet valve is held open to effect unloading of the compressor by allowing air drawn into the cylinder during the down piston stroke to be discharged freely past the inlet valve to atmosphere. This unloading mechanism in this instance comprises a cylinder member 4|] attached by screws 4| to the top of the cylinder head II and having a vertical bore 42 alined with the inlet valve mechanism. Reciprocable in this cylinder bore is a piston 43 at its lower end in contact with the upper surface of a plate-like plunger 44 guided in an alined bore 45. Guided in vertical openings in the cylinder head "II are rod-like plungers 46 secured at their upper ends to the plate 44 and engageable at their lower ends, when the piston 43 has moved the plate 44 downwardly, with the inlet valve 22 to unseat the latter. Arranged in the bore 45 beneath the plate 44 and engaging the bottom surface of the latter is a bowed annular spring 41 for urging the plungers 46 toward their raised inoperative position.

Due to streamlining and accurate proportiom ing'of the air flow passages in the head structure, turbulence and eddying, resulting in friction and eddy losses, have been reduced to a minimum. It will be noted that the air compressed in the cylinder by the piston flows past the discharge valve 35 upwardly through the annular passage 26 and then substantially radially out ward through the arcuate passages 21, the latter opening outwardly through the outer wall of the inner head II in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The arcuate passages 2'1 cooperate to form a substantial annulus except for the supporting ribs 25, and the latter are shaped so that the air entering the discharge chamber will be guided in the direction of air flow in the discharge chamber, thereby to promote smooth flow of air through the passages. in the outer head portion is continuous about the counter-bore except for a. partition 48, and is so designed that the effective area at any given point is proportional to the amount of air to be conducted at that point. In other words, the passages are given an increasing area in the direction of fluid flow such that the efiective area at any point is proportionate to the amount of fluid flowing past that point. This provides for a more constant air velocity through these passages than is otherwise obtainable, and fluctuations in velocity, eddy currents and objectionable turbulence are reduced to a marked degree. In addition, the branched passage-like portions of the discharge chamber 8 at the opposite sides of the head are brought together at 49 along the receding edge of the partition 48 into an effective area equal to the total eiiective area of the individual joining passages and in such a manner that the two air streams are traveling in much the same direction when they join, so that their confluence is occasioned with a minimum of turbulence and eddying. The partition 48 has streamlined sides to promote smoothness of air flow past the same.

To further promote smoothness of air flow in the air passages of the head structure, the inlet passages through the outer and inner heads are shaped and proportioned to reduce transmission losses as much as possible. The air flows through the air filter Ill into the inlet chamber 9 in the outer head, and thence into the inlet chamber 2| in the inner head, the walls of the latter chamber being of a smooth contour, curving downwardly into communication with the annular inlet passage 20. The two unloading plungers 46 and the cap screws [6 nearest the inlet side of the head structure are completely shrouded as they extend through the inlet chamber, by pillars 50 (see Fig. 2) likewise of substantially "tear drop cross section having streamlined sides and inwardly tapered to minimize air resistance. The inlet plungers emerge from their shrouding pillars only where the air flow is in a direction substantially parallel to their length at which points their effective air resistance is substantially negligible, and at such points the plungers are tapered downwardly at 5| to further promote smooth flow of air past the same. Also arranged in the inlet chambers 9 and 2! and separating the air flowing through the chamber 9 into two fluid streams, are vertical portions 52 and 53 abutting one another to provide a strengthening pillar, and these strengthening portions cooperate to provide a streamlined cross section, having streamlined sides so that the air flows smoothly past the same.

As above mentioned, an improved cooling fin arrangement is associated with the cooling fins 4 on the cylinder, together with an improved formation of the head structure, so that the compressor is air cooled in an extremely eflicient manner. deep recess 54 open to atmosphere and partially surrounding the inlet chamber 2| in the head to effect greater cooling of the head and to reduce heat transmission to the incoming air. Coop-' crating with the cooling fins 4 on the cylinder are parallel cooling fins 55 formed on the outer head portion, while formed on the flanged portion I2 of the inner head is a parallel cooling fin 56. This construction will result in lower tempera- The discharge chamber 8 I sages through the discharge chamber.

The cylinder head is formed with a tures in the metal comprising the air inlet passge to reduce the amount of preheating of the incoming air.

In Figs. 9, 10, Hand 12 a modification which the invention may assume in practice is disclosed. In this illustrative construction the head structure and valve and unloading mechanisms are essentially the same as those described above. However, in this instance, the ring 36 is supplanted by a valve seat ring 60 securely seated in the outer head counter-bore and tightly sealed against leakage. This ring is held in place independently of the inner cylinder head as by pressing into place at the bottom of the counterbore, or can be held in place, for example, by dowel pins extending radially through the cylinder wall or by set screws in radially located tapped holes through the cyl-' inder wall and contacting the ring about its outer diameter. The depending bosses 29 at the bottom of the inner head are omitted so that the bottom of the inner head is spaced from the ring. The cylindrical body of the inner head has an annular portion 6|, corresponding to the annulus 24, set back from the end of the body so that it is spaced from the bottom of the counter-bore and of slightly smaller diameter than the counterbore. The annulus 6| is supported by the inner head by integral webs 62, the side webs being inclined in the manner shown in Fig. 10 so as to direct the air as it flows from thedis'charge pas- The arcuate discharge passages 21 open from an annular chamber 63 surrounding a lower reduced portion 64 of the inner head. This annular dis-' charge chamber communicates directly with a lateral discharge passage 65 in the outer head 66 integral with the upper portion of the cylinder. An inlet passage 61 in the outer head communicates with an inlet chamber 68 in the inner head, and this inner chamber in turn communicates with the annular inlet passage 20. As in the preferred form of the invention, these inlet and discharge passages and chambers are streamlined and proportioned to reduce eddy currents and undesirableturbulence.

The unloading mechanism associated with the head structure is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1, with the exception that the bowed spring 4! is omitted and the unloading plungers are urged toward their raised inoperative position by a coiled spring 69 arranged in a centrally located bore 16 in the inner head. The air cooling arrangement is likewise essentially the same as that in the preferred form of the invention, except in this construction the recess in the inner head extends arcuately around the central boss 72 from oneside of the air inlet chamber to the other in the manner shown in Fig. 11, and is substantially larger in area than the cooling recess 54. The outer head portion of the cylinder, 1. e. the head portion in which the inner head is seated, has cooling fins 13 cooperating with the cooling fins on the cylinder in the effectual air cooling of the head structure. Otherwise, this form of the invention is similar to that described above.

As a result of this invention, it will be noted that an improved head structure is provided for a compressor cylinder since in inlet and discharge passages and chambers, due to streamlining and proportioning'eddying and objectionable turbulence are reduced to a minimum, resulting in greater overall efliciency, while at the same time the weight of the head structure is substantially ill reduced. It will further be noted that by arranging the parts in the manner disclosed, an improved unloading mechanism is made possible, while by the provision of the cooling fins and cooling recess in the head, air cooling of the head structure is efflciently effected. Other uses and advantages of the improved head structure will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there are in this application specifically described two forms which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that these forms are shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be further modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a compressor or pump, a cylinder having a bore, a cylinder head, a ring arranged between the cylinder and cylinder head and having an opening forming a continuation of the cylinder bore and providing an annular valve seat surface surrounding the cylinder bore, a valve plate secured to the bottom of the cylinder head and arranged concentrically with said ring and providing an annular valve seat surface and further having a central opening providing a flow passage, a valve on the head cooperating with said valve seat surfaces, annular valve seats on the bottom of said cylinder head, an annular valve supported by said valve plate and surrounding said flow passage and cooperating with the valve seats on said head, and a piston reciprocable in said cylinder bore and movable within the ring opening and having a central boss receivable in said flow passage when said piston is at the end of the cylinder adjacent said head.

2. In a compressor or pump, a cylinder having a bore, a cylinder head, a ring arranged between the cylinder and cylinder head and having an opening forming a continuation of the cylinder bore and providing an annular valve seat surface surrounding the cylinder bore, a valve plate secured to the bottom of the cylinder head concentrically with said ring and providing an annular valve seat surface, said valve plate having a central opening providing a flow passage and having its periphery spaced from the wall of said ring opening to provide an annular flow passage, a valve cooperating with the annular valve seat surfaces on said ring and plate for controlling fluid flow through said annular flow passage, a piston reciprocable in said cylinder bore, the upper surface of said piston being annularly rccessed to form an annular lip at the piston periphery and a central boss, the recess in the piston receiving said valve plate and said piston lip and central boss being received in said annular flow passage and valve plate opening respectively when said piston is at the end of the cylinder adjacent said head.

3. In a fluid compressor or pump, a member having a plane surface and provided with fluid flow passages, a valve plate secured to said member and having a central fluid flow passage, an annular valve seat surface on said plate, a ring concentric with and surrounding said valve plate and having its inner peripheral surface spaced from the outer periphery of said valve plate to provide an annular flow passage, said ring also having an annular valve seat surface lying in the same plane with the valve seat surface on said plate, a valve seating on the annular valve seat surfaces on said ring and plate for controlling fluid flow through said annular flow pas-' sage, said valve plate having an internal valve recess, and a valve received in said recess and seating on the plane surface of said member for controlling fluid flow through the flow passages in said member and the central flow passage in said valve plate.

4. In a fluid compressor or pump, a member having a plane surface and provided with fluid flow passages, a circular valve plate secured to said member and having a plane surface abutting said plane surface, a ring concentric with and surrounding said valve plate and having its inner peripheral surface spaced from the outer periphery of said valve plate to provide an annular flow passage, said valve plate having an internal valve recess and a central opening in communication with said internal valve recess, a Valve received in said recess and seating on the plane surface of said member for controlling fluid flow through the flow passages in said member, said ring having an annular plane surface coplanar with said plane surface on said valve plate, said member having a valve recess and a valve in said last mentioned recess and seating on the plane surfaces of said ring and said valve plate for controlling fluid flow through said annular flow passage.

5. In a compressor or pump, a cylinder head having a plane surface and provided with fluid flow passages, an annular valve plate secured to said head and having a plane surface abutting said plane head surface, a ring arranged concentrically with and surrounding said plate and spaced from said plate to provide an annular flow passage, annular valve recesses in said head and plate respectively and arranged coaxially with said plate, said valve plate recess communicating with the open center of said valve plate, and valves in said valve recesses and seating respectively on the plane surfaces on said plate and ring and the plane surface on said head for controlling fluid flow through said annular flow passage and said head passages.

6. In a compressor or pump, a cylinder having an integral outer head portion, an inner head received in said outer head portion and secured thereto, means on said inner head and cylinder providing coaxial inlet and discharge valve seats, diametrically opposite inlet and discharge connections on said outer head portion, passage means in said outer head portion and said inner head connecting said inlet connection with said inlet valve seat diminishing in cross sectional area in the direction of the fluid flow, and passage means in said outer head portion and said inner head extending from said discharge valve seat to said discharge connection increasing in cross sectional area in the direction of fluid flow.

7. In a compressor or pump, an outer cylinder head, an inner cylinder head received in and secured to said outer head, said inner head having a central annular inlet passage having valve means controlling the same, a surrounding discharge passage having valve means controlling the same, an inlet chamber in said inner head having smooth, continuously curved walls and of diminishing cross sectional area leading to said inlet passage, and a chamber, at least in part in said outer head, of increasing cross sectional area leading from said discharge passage.

8. In combination, in a compressor, a cylinder member providing a cylinder bore and an alined bore for receiving a cylinder head, a cylinder head received in said alined bore, inletand discharge passages in said cylinder member, cooperating inlet and discharge passages in said head, and an open chamber in said head for diminishing heat transfer through said head from the discharge passage therein tosaid inlet passage therein.

9. In combination, in a compressor, a cylinder member providing a cylinder bore and an alined bore for receiving a cylinder head, inlet and discharge passages in said cylinder member, a cylinder head receivable in said bore and having inlet and discharge passages cooperating with said passages in said cylinder member, and with the inlet passage in said head terminating in an annular inlet passage coaxial with the cylinder and spaced inwards from the walls of the latter, and said head providing an outwardly opening pocket partially surrounding the inner portions of said inlet passage in the head to reduce heat transfer from the discharge passage to the inlet passage.

10. In a fluid compressor or pump, a cylinder having an integral outer head portion, an inner head portion received in said outer head portion, inlet and discharge connections on said outer head portion, a valve plate secured to said inner head portion, said valve plate having an internal valve recess and a central opening in communication with said internal valve recess,

passage means in said outer head portion and said inner head portion connecting said inlet connection with said internal valve recess and diminishing in cross sectional area in the direction of fluid flow, a ring concentric with and surrounding said valve plate to provide an annular fiow passage, said inner head portion having a valve recess and a valve in said recess for controlling flow through said annular flow passage, and passage means in said inner head por-" tion and said outer head portion increasing in cross sectional area in the direction of fluid flow delivered thereto and connecting the valve recess in said inner head portion to said discharge connection.

11. In combination, in a compressor, a cylinoler member providing a cylinder bore and an alined bore for receiving a cylinder head, a cylinder head received in said alined bore, cooperating inlet and discharge passages having smooth, continuously curved surfaces in said cylinder head and said cylinder member, said passages respectively decreasing and increasing in cross sectional area in the direction of fluid flow and said head providing an open space between said inlet and discharge passages to reduce the heat transfer from one passage to the other.

RALPH E, LAMBERTON.

. CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.- Patent No. 2,213,257! September 5-,. 191m;

RALPH E. IA BE T N. It is'hereby' certified that error appearsin the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1,v secs 0nd column, line I46, for the word "this'f read ---the-*-; page 5 second column, line 1-2, for "passge'! read --passage--; line 70, after "in" insert "the-r; page )4, second colwnn, line 55, c1aim6, strike out "the" before "fluid"; page 5, second 'column', line l5,rcla im-l0,='strike out "delivered fthereto' and that the said Letters'Patent should befreadwith this oorreetiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the casein the Patent Office.-'

Signed and sealed. this 8th day of"0ctober, -A D.- 191w.

Henry Van Arsda1e (Seal) Acting Commissioner of- Patents. 

